Rain Down Under
by seriousblahblah
Summary: Water is wet. Hermione can't stop staring at Neville, or noticing how he's changed. Neville can't stop staring at the pretty brunette either. It's been years since they left Hogwarts and they only reunite to help as volunteers for the Australian wildfires. But can either work up the courage to be more than friends, or will hope be lost in the fires as well? Nevmione. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

_**a/n: Written to bring awareness to the Australian wildlife fires, please do send your love, prayers and support to Australia. May the koalas, kangaroos and other beautiful wildlife and plants never perish from this earth. Koalas are too cute! **__**Also I had been planning for awhile to write another nevmione story after finishing my other Neville/Hermione story "The Remembrall". Do check out that story, it's much better than this one I think lol!**_

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**`o`o~o~o`o`**  
**~o~**

**Rain Down Under**

**~o~**  
**~o~O~O`o`~O~O`o**

_**[What Happens in the Greenhouse, Stays in the Greenhouse]**_  
_**[Neville/Hermione.] [Nevmione.]**_  
_**[Song: Senorita - Camila and Shawn Mendes]**_

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~o~

Neville wiped at his brow, feeling the sweat gathering there, as the sun beamed hotly down upon his body. The Australian sun was incredibly harsh and unforgiving, and the heat was only made worse by the recent bushfires that had scorched most of the land. Witches and wizards had came in to provide relief and put out most of the fires by now, however, there was still so much damage to the important habitats and wildlife...some of which could not be found on any other part of the planet.

Having a sincere appreciation for any and all plant species, Neville was more than happy to help out for a good cause. Even if the work was grueling.

Moisture trickled down his bulging arms and sweat trickled down across his washboard abs, making him feel so slick and dirtied, yet there was little time to rest. Time was of the essence to save some of these rare species before they extinguished forever. Digging up and replanting gigantic Magical Dragonskin Eucalyptus trees particularly, in order to save the endangered species, was rewarding but no easy be told, it was some of the most brutal work Neville had ever tried. Luckily, the Herbology grad had more than enough muscle to meet with the task...for there were some tasks in life that required more than just magic. Some plants needed a human touch to flourish. Every true gardener and herbologist knew this, you needed a green thumb to truly succeed.

It helped too that—the ever philanthropic and willing to spare time to any cause worth a damn—Hermione Granger had volunteered to help with the Australian fire relief effort. Though she wasn't as quite as handy with a shovel, she had a wicked talent with her wand...and her mind was just as sharp as a tack. Together with some of the other Hogwarts grads, they had helped salvage a whole forest and even created temporarily artificial habitat pens for the rescued animals and plants...until such time as the Australian habit got restored and they could be returned to the wild. That last bit had been Hermione Granger's brilliant idea of course. Using her immense knowledge of creating expanding-shrinking spells, she shrank as much wildlife as she could and placed them each in separate tiny containers complete with mini forests and mini ecosystems.

"Making progress?" Harry asked as he saw Neville lifting some dead branches.

"Oh Merlin's tits, I hope we are. This country is so huge...the work never ends!"

"I know, I wish we could save it all," Harry said. The heroic boy-who-lived was an Auror now, but under Hermione's encouragement, he and Ron had joined other Hogwarts grads to come here for a month. Neville respected Harry greatly for all he had done to help both in Britain and abroad on many fronts.

"Here, let me give you a hand," Harry said and both men worked hard to lift the last of the trees into a container before they shrunk them down and put them in a tiny container where it would be cared for in the meantime and restored back to vitality.

After a couple more hours, the likes of which had both Harry and Neville literally wet with sweat, Harry patted his old classmate on the back. "I think we should call it a day, the sun is setting, and it wouldn't do to wear ourselves out and not be full back at it full speed tomorrow."

"Right. Well done," Neville grunted in exhaustion and picked up his discarded shirt.

Harry stared at Neville a bit in shock. "Nev, I think you've burnt yourself to a crisp, your back is as red as a lobster."

"Oh great." Neville thought he felt his back burning, he didn't realize how much his skin had been burnt however til Harry mentioned it. He thought it had simply been the heat affecting him.

"You better take that to Hermione, she's brilliant with burns," Harry said and took a sip of water from his jug. "She should be in the greenhouse still. I've got to go back to Ginny, she wants to go the Sydney Opera! I think the other healers already went home." Harry seemed to imply it would only be Hermione and him left at the camp grounds.

"Good. Okay, will do. Goodnight Harry." Neville scratched at his beard and walked in the direction of the greenhouses as Harry apparated away and soon most of the relief grounds were empty...Well, save one person, who never went home (even though her parents now apparently lived in Australia). Hermione was always the last to leave the grounds and usually worked tirelessly, day and night, in the greenhouse and in any other place she could be of help.

Feeling too tired to be self-conscious—not that he had anything to be ashamed of, his body was in the best shape of his life now—Neville was still shirtless, his abs and burnt back showing, as he held his soiled white cotton shirt like a rag over his shoulder.

"Knock knock," he spoke at the entrance of the Greenhouse though he knew full well Hermione had to be in there. The lights were still on and he could hear the hum of a radio tune she was listening to.

Hermione called back from somewhere behind some indoor bushes she was tending to. "Hold on I'm coming. Neville is that you?"

"Yeah." He helped himself to a bottle of water she'd left laying on her desk and patted the rescue koala Hermione had adopted. The cute little koala had almost died in one of the fires but Hermione had used her excellent healing skills to bring the creature back to full health. Then, growing attached to the koala, Harry and Hermione had named him Winnie-the-Poop since the koala looked like a cuddly teddy bear and he also happened to poop a lot.

"Hey! You're drinking from my water jug," Hermione said rather absentmindedly when she stumbled to the front of the greenhouse and locked eyes with him. Neville grinned at her, something about Hermione Granger always struck him as particularly pleasant to be around.

"Sorry. I'm thirsty and sunburned," he raised his eyebrows dramatically. "I promise you won't catch anything from me," he teased.

"No, I didn't think I would, Neville. I mean to catch something, I'd have to...uhm... nevermind!" Hermione stammered and she lowered her eyes to search his broad bare chest and abs, apparently looking for the sunburn. "I don't see the sunburn," she said a bit anxiously.

Was Hermione blushing? Neville chuckled. "It's on my back, luv," he said and turned around. Why did Hermione seem nervous around him just now? He shook his head, probably just imagining things...although she probably hadn't seen him without his shirt before. Neville noticed now, ever since he'd started working out at uni, that women gave him much more lingeringly looks and were more willing to hold long conversations with him over nothing, seemingly just because they were attracted to him. Not Hermione though, Neville thought. The bookworm had more substance than to objectify him and their conversations were genuinely mutually gratifying.

_Mutually gratifying,_ Neville shook his head. Bleeding hell. What a way to say _'we both enjoy each other's company'._ Why was he beating around the bush to admit he liked Hermione a lot?

He was startled as he felt Hermione's hand on his back. It was a shock because she crept up on him and a shock because the burnt skin had now blistered and hurt to touch..even with such a gentle touch as Hermione's fingertips.

Hermione cooed. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm just out of the last batch of our burned salve potion." Hermione swore. "But if you stay a bit, I can prepare one in less than half an hour. You know I'm adept with potions."

"It reeally isn't necessary," Neville began. "I may just go home, you're already busy as is..." He noticed then she was wearing short jean shorts and a tight shirt under her black lab robes. The robes hung loosely open showing her sexier body hidden underneath the unflattering robe. What a body she had, though she kept it well-hidden in unflattering clothes most of the time he had known her in Hogwarts. A modest witch.

"No, Neville I insist, I always have a cauldron going. besides you've done so much to help the relief. It's the least i could do to personally repay you."

Neville raised his eyebrows at her. An impure thought had crossed his mind just then of how else he would've liked to see her try to repay him. But he scolded himself quickly for even thinking it: longbottom get your head out of the gutter.

"That would be grand, Hermione, thanks," he said instead. "I'll help you water anything that's dry in here."

"Dry?" Hermione coughed. Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrows. "No there's nothing dry in here. In fact, everything's wet!" She coughed and looked madly around the greenhouse ceiing as if searching for the right words to say.

Did Neville detect some discomfort on her end too? I mean she couldn't be thinking what he was thinking was she? Nah it must've been the heat driving them both mad. His skin bloody burned. She just wanted to help him.

but then he felt himself staring strangely at her. before they both looked away at the same time and shook their heads.

"I mean—" Hermione continued and Neville wondered why she was being defensive as Hermione stammered more. "I mean I just watered everything using the automatic sprinkler system I set up," she laughed a bit too fakely and waved her hand. "I could hardly let our plants dry out after they'd survived a bushfire!"

"I didn't mean to imply you did, Hermione," he said apologetically.

"No, you didn't."

"Well, is there anything else I can feed?" he asked.

"Feed? Feed, hmm. Uhmmm..." Hermione mumbled to herself. "You can feed Winnie his supper instead? He has a particular koala diet of only Eucalyptus leaves and is a picky eater. Maybe you can coax him to eat his greens?"

"No problem." Neville flashed her a wide smile and leaned over to pet the fuzzy koala. "Good as done."

Hermione, this time, unmistakably blushed.

"Thank you," she said and disappeared back into the posterior of the greenhouse. "I'll be back here, working on the potion," she called over her shoulder. "If you need me for anything. Anything at all."

"Right." Neville found his cheeks burning. Was he actually blushing now too? Or was it just the sunburn?

He hoped Hermione could fix that burn potion soon, so things didn't get too awkward. The sun was going down and it would be night time soon.

"Winnie! Suppertime!" He waved a tasty eucalyptus branch at the fuzzy grey furball. "Come over here boy!"

~O~

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a/n: btw i was inspired by a little quote by David Suzuki,_ 'What happens in the forest, stays in the forest'_ that always made me chuckle. Yes, while he's a environmentalist and darling hero of wildlife, I'm sure he get's up to all kinds of trouble in that forest ;) Just teasing. So I wondered what a herbologist might get up to in a greenhouse... please review/fav/follow if you want to read more, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: Warning for belly rubs...of the koala! Not Neville or hermione, or maybe that happens later, hmmm?

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~O~

It was pitch black outside the greenhouse and so dark in the forest, Neville considered just staying overnight and sleeping in a corner somewhere. He had a fear of walking through the Australian wild at night...in case a snake caught him on the foot or something. Neville didn't like snakes. His intense dislike of snakes had helped him end Nagini's sorry miserable existence of eating people for Voldemort. He'd been glad to stop that evil snake, Neville thought, as he cut up some tree shoots to feed Winnie-the-Poop (whom had pooped twice already on Hermione's desk leaving Neville to clean after the koala.)

"The potion is almost ready!" Hermione popped her head back in the office area of the greenhouse to see how Neville was progressing.

Neville jumped up at having the brunette come back suddenly. "Merlin! You couldn't announce you were coming back this way?"

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Hermione primly ran her hands through her long hair and pulled out a hair elastic. He found himself watching in fascination how she twirled her long, healthy brown hair in a high, tightly bound ponytail. With her reading glasses on, Hermione was particularly enticing...like a sexy librarian.

Neville smirked sheepishly. "Nah just wasn't expecting to see you sneak up behind me...War habits."

"Ah yes," Hermione agreed and gave him a brief smile "I get the same way sometimes. I hate having people sneak up behind me in case it might be a Death Eater again."

They shared a laugh, they had that much in common—trauma from the war—and a love of cuddly creatures.

Neville had Winnie cradled in his arms and he couldn't stop giving the cute koala belly rubs, although the picky eater had barely touched his food.

"How are you progressing?"

"Not too well, he prefers belly rubs," Neville replied. He showed her the large green salad of shoots and leaves he had prepared the koala, of which Winnie had barely skimmed the surface.

"Well, of course, he does, your hands look like they'd give a good belly rub," Hermione said and then blushed when she realized how improper that sounded. She stopped talking and pressed her lips nervously together.

"Really? You think so?" Neville looked down at his hands, wondering how she could tell they truly worked magic. He grinned and couldn't help looking her up and down. "I've been told before by my herbology professors I have a green thumb...but this is the first time someone has said I'd be good with animals too?"

"I'm sure you are, Neville, with all living creatures," Hermione gulped. "Sorry...What were we talking about, Winnie's dinner?" Hermione took off her glasses and pressed at her temples.

"Are you alright?" Neville stared worriedly as Hermione pressed at her aching forehead.

"Sorry. I'm just so swamped, I feel like I'm running a million different tasks at the same time and I'm always short on time...I don't want any koala to be left behind. Or the other creatures...and the endangered plants." Hermione looked like she wanted to cry and pinched her nose again.

Neville knew Hermione had been overworking herself for a while but it startled him to see upclose just how stressed it was making her. Hermione's need for perfection was her own worst enemy.

"Hey," he said with genuine concern. "It's getting late, why don't you and me have a quick bite and I'll help you finish up the last things in the greenhouse and we'll call it a night?"

"You would do that?" Hermione asked with wet eyes. "Haven't you been here all day already? You're burnt aren't you?"

Neville shrugged, sorry he made a big deal out of his burnt skin and allowed Hermione to add yet another chore by brewing the potion. "You need rest and food too," he told her and pointed to Winnie-the-Poop. "Now let's stop pampering this guy so we can start pampering you." Neville swore mentally as soon as he realized how that sounded, like he was making a move on her. He hoped he didn't offend her.

But Hermione was already smiling up at him. "Okay, that sounds good actually." She lifted up Winnie from Neville's arms and their hands briefly touched. A spark flew between them that they both chose to ignore.

"Here let me show you how you get him to finish dinner, first," Hermione cooed as she tenderly held up the koala against one of her hips like a child and then encouraged the creature to eat more of his shoots. "You see if you just encourage him." She gave them both a beaming smile. Neville noticed how happy Hermione seemed in the presence of animals. Sort of the way he lit up around rare species of plants.

Neville found Hermione's affection for animals adorable. She probably was good with kids too. Hermione, despite being a braniac and war heroine, had a huge soft side and Neville realized he mightily enjoyed her company. Even more so than he had at Hogwarts. In fact, he realized now as he stared in wonder at her...he might even miss her when the relief work ended and they parted ways.

"You'd be a good mum," Neville said absentmindedly._ Oh, shit, why the fuck did he say that?_

"Pardon?"

"Uhm, I mean you and your boyfriend would make good parents, or rather you'd be, if you were having kids right now, which of course you're not nut, but, I mean if you are planning to have kids..." Neville stammered. "...You'd be good."

"Oh," Hermione nodded and began to laugh. "No, I won't be having them anytime soon. Ron and I broke up."

"Oh really...so you're single?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded again and this time they both laughed. Why was this conversation getting so awkward?

Neville scratched at his burnt neck and winced in pain. He hoped that potion was ready soon.

~o~

After Winnie finished his meal, Neville convinced Hermione to stop all she was doing and they both ate a quick dinner of sandwiches and coffees in the greenhouse. Despite the simple fare, Neville found having sandwiches with Hermione was a million times better than eating a five-star dinner in a fancy dinner with anyone else. He liked how she laughed and smiled at him. And he noticed she more than a few times definitely looked at his abs again as he was still shirtless. He smirked, wondering if he should point out that she was checking him out. But decided against embarrassing her.

Instead, it was her turn to embarrass him.

She rushed out of the small greenhouse office and came back with a small vial of the burn salve potion.

"It's ready," she said and sighed in relief. "If you want me to apply it, you can tell me where it hurts most."

Now it was his turn for his jaw to drop. He hissed out a hard breath. Somehow the prospect of Hermione's bare fingertips massaging a cream onto his back...unsettled him. Though they had been friends at Hogwarts, friends didn't massage friends like that, especially on bare skin.

"I promise I won't bite," Hermione said with a sad smirk, still holding the potion, since he hadn't replied. "Unless you prefer to just take this home and let your, er, girlfriend or whatever apply it to your back?"

_"I'mnotdatinganyonerightnow,"_ Neville said all too quickly.

"Pardon? Didn't catch that?" Hermione frowned.

Neville coughed. "I'm not dating anyone. I mean, I don't have a girlfriend waiting back at my hotel room I mean. I mean I don't have anyone waiting for me at the hotel..." he rambled and realized he sounded like an inbred pureblood prat. He shut his jaw shut and settled on winning her back with a grin that said_ 'sorry I'm not actually this tongue tied.'_

But Hermione seemed more than happy to beam back at him with her own shy smile. "Sorry. Just assumed you had a girlfriend, I mean what with the way you've changed."

"Oh? In what ways have I changed?" Neville asked.

_"Fit-so-bloody-fit,_" Hermione coughed and tried not to stare at his fabulous abs again...with that little happy trail leading down below...

"Pardon? Didn't catch that?" Neville asked genuinely not having heard her.

"Nevermind!" Hermione said quickly and lifted up the potion. She held his gaze for a moment before looking away. "Uhm I'd ask you to take off your shirt, but you already do..have your shirt off." She nervously poured some of the salve potion onto her hands. "So I'll just ask you to lean forward in the chair so I can, rub, it, er, in."

"Yes, rub it," Neville encouraged her.

He braced himself as Hermione hesistantly placed her hands on the back. She began to massage the salve in small, gentle circles along his upper back before she got more comfortable and massaged him more deeply, working in her fingertips. The potion worked wonders right away to completely remove the sunburn from his upper back.

"Lower," Neville said, suddenly, when he worried she might stop.

"Pardon?"

"My lower back is burnt too, can you rub some salve in there too?"

"Of course." He could've sworn that Hermione was breathing more than usually loudly, as if agitated by something. Was she upset by the animals, plants and trees dying again?

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yup. Couldn't be better," Hermione quipped. "It helps me a lot when I help people. It's sort of therapy for me."

"Good. I mean, thank you. For doing this." Neville closed his eyes as Hermione ending up giving him a full back massage with the salve...which probably wasn't necessary but the little brunette seemed eager to touch him and he couldn't deny the pleasure—and relief—he got out of this.

Checking the clock to see it was now past 9:30pm, he decided to test the waters by flirting with Hermione a little. I mean it was now or never, with the disaster relief only lasting a few more days. What harm could a little flirting do? Surely she wouldn't really reciprocate the feeling. Though he had much more experience in flirting now that he'd been with several girlfriends since leaving Hogwarts. He felt rather confident to flirt with Hermione Granger now, especially since they were both single at this moment. Though he probably should've thought of doing this way back when at Hogwarts. He always thought she was super cute.

He leaned back in the chair as she finished his back. Neville bit at his lip. "Would you mind?" he asked her over his shoulder. "If you put some of that potion on my front? My chest is feeling pretty hot too, scorched really," he placed an emphasis on the word 'hot'.

"Oh Merlin, sorry! I didn't know you burnt your abs, I mean, chest too." She stepped around the chair and he could see her again. He smiled up at her enjoying the now obvious nervous reaction she had to touching his body. It was quite the most adorable moment he had shared with the infamous Miss Granger, seeing her nervous around him. Like they weren't old friends and knew each other all their lives.

Hermione paused as she put some more salve on her hands, preparing to put it on his chest, when they both realized the only way she could comfortably reach his chest and torso was if she kneeled on the floor between his legs...in front of him...as he sat in the chair.

"Would you rather I stand up?" Neville quickly offered her, not wishing to be ungentlemanly.

Hermione checked the time on her watch. "No, let's just get this done quickly," she said and winced at how that sounded. "I mean there's still so much to do and you promised to help me finish things here in the greenhouse."

"Don't worry I intend on keeping that promise," he assured her and added with a mischeivioes tone. "Even if I have to sleep in the greenhouse overnihght to help you. I will help you finish."

Hermione flushed scarlet. "You will? Do that? Oh Neville, I don't even know how I could begin to thank you. You've done so much already and you're not even Australian or have Australian family like I do." She paused to slather salve on his pecs before she sank to her knees in front of the chair he sat in. "I'll just be quick."

Neville resisted the urge to moan as Hermione kneeled in between his legs slathering his pecs with salve and gently worked his skin and muscles with her expert fingers.

A funny thought occurred to him and he decided not to hold back. The tension between them was now as blazing obvious as a comet crashing to the earth.

"You're giving me quite the belly rub right now," Neville teased. "Winnie has nothing on this."

"Goodness, you're right!" Hermione laughed nervously. "Are you feeling better?"

"Good as new," he said flirtateously and barely resisted the urge to wink at her. He didn't want to come across as tacky or a player. He was sincere about his interest in her. If Hermione was interested in him, he planned on making this a long-term thing, he wouldn't just shag her senseless and call it a night. He meant it when he said she'd make a good mother. Hermione Granger was the kind of girl you took home to meet your mum right away, or, in his case, gran.

Hermione finished, her face beet red, as she worked the salve on his lower abs before she she finally got off her knees and sighed audibly. "All done." She wiped her hands off on a towel. "You know you don't have to stay longer to help, Neville. You can help tommorow like you always do."

"I want to stay," Neville insisted.

Hermione frowned in confusion. Then shook her head as if uncertain Neville had indeed flirted with her.

"Girl I am flirting shamelessly with you, right now," Neville thought to himself, wondering why Hermione was still holding back as if scared by him. Did she think he was only playing around?

~o~

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a/n: Continue?

Can they stop flirting with each other and one of them make a move?


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: thank god! it's raining in Australia now finally and that put out some of the fires. Though unfortunately they are getting flooded by too much water :( omg stay strong down under!

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~o~

Hermione checked her watch. She seemed anxious to get the rest of the greenhouse work done before it got any later. She also seemed unduly nervous around him, for a reason Neville couldn't quite understand: was she just attracted to him and that made her nervous? Or did it make her nervous to realize she was attracted to him?

Neville hoped she could slow down just a bit...and smell the roses before this moment got completely lost and they went back to strictly being acquaintances, rather than good friends, tomorrow. When all the other volunteers came back to the campground, it would be easy to forget this moment of connection they had...just them alone in the greenhouse, two twenty-somethings finding their way in the world.

He told her to sit down and have another short coffee break before they took their last lap of the greenhouse.

"So what have you been doing after the war?" He stared at her over the rim of his coffee mug, taking a big gulp.

Her brown eyes flicked downwards. "You mean besides my postgrad and apprenticeship with the Ministry's Department of Magical Animals?"

Neville grinned. "That is a mouthtful, just saying it."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, a small, almost sad, smile tugging at the corners of her pretty mouth. "It's hard work. The Department isn't any easier than it sounds."

"I'm sure you'll manage..." Neville paused. "...to overwork yourself trying to save everything and everyone, much like you've done here?"

Hermione nodded and sighed out loud. "I know, I know. I tend to overdo things, Neville, you don't have to tell me."

Neville took a sip of his coffee, savouring the sweetness at the bottom. "No, it's something I admire actually. I think you're brilliant."

"Thank you." The tiniest tease of a blush appeared on the apples of her cheeks. "You're sweet, Neville."

"Not so sweet," he warned her. "What about your personal life? Where does that get lost in the mix?" If his voice showed concern for her, it was because Neville did seriously worry Hermione might be working herself into an early grave and missing out on the fun of life.

"I do...things for that too."

"Really? When? When is the last time you ever did something for yourself?"

That seemed to touch a sore spot. Hermione put down her mug of coffee and stood up to face him, her chin held high up. Showing that Gryffindor bravery he'd always liked about her, even when it meant she stupified him as a terrified boy of eleven years old.

Neville met her eyes then, looming over her, a whole head taller, not afraid of her in the slightest. He understood her now, or the woman she had become. Even if Hermione refused to see it yet.

She glanced then down at her wrist watch, breaking their staring contest.

"I think it's getting late enough as it is, Neville," she said and brushed her bangs aside from her forehead. "If you want to talk about this, we can at another time."

_Is that a date_? Neville thought.

Yet he knew better than to say so. Hermione seemed to think they were just friends and nothing more. As if she couldn't comprehend he was a sexual being and an adult as much as her...underneath her pretensions of only being a scholar without a heart.

Neville hoped he could change her idea of him being only her childhood friend.

...if only she would give Neville some more time out of her busy schedule to let him woo her properly.

But she clearly did not want that day to be now. She was too busy, even late on this dark night, to give into romance.

"Fine," he said. "Lead the way. I'll be out of here before you know it."

He couldn't help narrowing his eyes at her, trying to understand how one woman could contradict herself so much. All her body language saying 'yes' she wanted him, she wanted that type of contact and attention. While her mind and words kept saying 'no I'm too busy. I have to save the planet, I don't have any time for my own personal life.'

"Thank you for understanding. Okay. Your friendship is important to me too, Neville. I'm just so overwhelmed right now...by everything. So..."

"You don't have to explain," Neville said but couldn't helping sounding slightly bitter.

Hermione nodded. "Okay, well, just come back here for the last bit of work," Hermione said. She led him down to the back of the greenhouse where most of the plants stood in rows of pots under artificial sunlight spells.

"It's crowded in here," Neville commented as he ducked his head underneath an overhanging vine.

"Yeah, we're always running out of room, even with the shrinking spells and extension charms we use," Hermione said. "If you just want to come to the rear row, I'll show you which species could use a herbologist's touch."

"That's what I'm here for," he said and clapped his hands together.

The sound of his hands clapping startled her. But he couldn't help chuckling as he rubbed his manly hands together and she blushed again looking at them.

"Okay." She nervously nodded before turning to show him where the row of plants were.

His eyes followed her backside as they both walked down the tree lined greenhouse to the rear. He certainly would be elated to tend to whatever bush or rose she might show him...strictly speaking of plants, of course. Get your mind out of the gutter, Longbottom!

"There's just these trees here, you might recognize them, since you helped relocate most of them," Hermione spoke primly as showed him the rows of pots holding shrunken plants and giant trees reduced to the size of tiny brocollis in the well tended pots. "There must be a nitrogen deficiency or something, several of them have begun to wilt. Do you think you could fix them?"

"I think I can," Neville said, his eyes fixated on her pretty lips whenever she spoke or didn't speak. That and her fox-like large brown eyes he couldn't stop staring at all times. Luckily, even distracted like this, his training in Herbology made dealing with wilting plants, or trees, a breeze.

It was a slow ten or twenty minutes that passed with Neville fixing the plants and Hermione watching over his shoulder.

The tension between them, was, by this point, palpable.

Whether Hermione continued to ignore her own attraction to him or not, Neville decided to flirt just one more time...in case.

When he fixed the trees, he stood up, a bit closer to Hermione, and smirked. "Anything else I can help you with?" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Uhm no, not really," Hermione said and lowered her eyes down his chest again for a split second.

She blushed when she realized she had checked him out again. Neville stood more proudly, staring down into her pretty doe eyes, reveling in the heat between them.

"You're sure there's nothing?" Neville insisted. "I am at your disposal." He decided to finally just stop beating around the bush and drop the hint. "For the whole night, if need be."

"There's only that bench there to sleep on," Hermione said abruptly. "And it's hard wood, I sleep there sometimes, but I doubt you'd be comfy."

"Not a problem. I can sleep on hard wood. Though I do know some spells for pillows and blankets."

Neville stood with his hands on his hips staring at her expectantly, a smirk tugging at the sides of his lips, before Hermione finally spoke a whole half a minute later.

Hermione fiddled with her ponytail. "Well, if you really want to help, you could use the hose to uhm...water some things...here"

"Hose?" Neville bit back a groan in his throat. He sat down on an empty wooden bench which hadn't been covered in plants yet. "You mean like water?"

"Yes, water," Hermione laughed in a strained manner, like she was at the end of her nerves.

"That's a long hose," Neville commented and followed her to a tap where a long green hose was affixed. "What do you want me to wet?"

Hermione bit at her lip. "I don't know really...Things might be watered already, I mean, not recently," she stammered and pulled her hair out of her ponytail.

Neville took in the enrapturing sight of her long, honey-brown hair tumbling around her pretty face and his eyes lowered to her lips.

"You don't know," he whispered, openly staring at her pink swollen lips which seemed to be made for kissing madly.

"Uhm no...Not sure, anymore." Hermione turned the tap absentmindedly as she leaned towards him and they both screamed the next moment when water came flooding through the hose. Like a fireman's hose, the hose wildly whipped through the air, sending jettisons of water through the whole greenhouse and especially wetting Hermione. She screeched, seeming to fully wake up as she was drenched.

Neville laughed as he saw Hermione soaked head to toe by the waving hose. "Are you alright?" He took out his wand and pointed it at the wildly-waving hose to turn it off and neatly coil it back in its place.

Hermione burst out laughing. "Merlin's beard. I'm soaked!"

Neville appreciatively glanced at her up and down. Her clothes now clung to her body, showing the fit little body underneath. "Yeah, you are."

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, I hope that didn't wash off the potion from your back?"

"Nah, you got the brunt of the hose," Neville said though his pants were wet...so that his jeans clung like clingwrap to his body.

Hermione lowered her eyes to his wet pants, and how they clung to him. "Uhm," she gulped. "Why don't we go the supplies room, there's spare clothes in there and I can help you dry your clothes?"

"Sure." Neville grinned and he followed her with his eyes again as they marched to a small little room at the back of the greenhouse.

He certainly didn't think it was a high cost—getting wet with a hose—in exchange of seeing how cute and ravishingly sexy Hermione Granger looked in her wet clothes. Almost like she was a wild woman underneath the bushy hair and lab coat and nerdish passion...she was a real woman with desires and a body that could drive any man crazy for her and happy til the end of his days.

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~O~


	4. Chapter 4

~o~

As soon as they were in the supplies room, Hermione closed the door and they both stared boldly at each other. The next thing Neville knew, he had grabbed her by the wrist and pressed her up against the door. He couldn't resist wanting to touch her, and if that hose hadn't gone off earlier, he would already have kissed her.

Hermione's eyes widened and she panted for a moment in shock as she caught her breath.

Then her left hand came down to press Neville's lips to hers.

"Oh god, merlin," Hermione moaned afterwards.

"Finally," Neville said in between sweet, wet kisses.

The two panted as they made out in the steamy supplies room, their bodies grinding against the surface of the door as Neville lifted her hips up to straddle him.

The thick moisture and heat of the greenhouse intensified each kiss and movement so that soon sweat dripped down their necks and Neville realized this was probably the most delicious kiss he'd ever shared with a witch.

Especially because the brunette was proving to be so responsive and enthusiastic. What a freak. He was always knew the nerdy, quiet bookworms were the kinkiest and wildest partners behind closed doors...literally.

Neville could barely contain her passion.

Hermione moaned even louder and ground even more against him as Neville darted his tongue into her mouth.

Neville was about to leave a soft love bite on her perfect, long neck when her hand stopped him.

"Wait wait wait," Hermione begged of him though her cheeks were reddened and her lips pouty and swollen. The brunette shook her head then pushed him back by the chest and slid down the door.

Neville thought she might've changed her mind and he tried not to show his disapointment. Though he respected her decision, if she thought they were moving too fast.

But then Hermione threw off lab coat and threw it on the floor.

Neville raised his brows at her. _Really?_ he was thinking.

"I want to take these clothes off, they're really starting to bug me." Hermione said by way of explanation, though she blushed at her own boldness. Neville smirked as she sputtered. "I mean," the brunette said. "I think we should take them off so they can dry."

"Thought you'd never ask." Neville's grin broadened and he lowered his hands to shrug off his pants but left on his boxer shorts in case she wasn't ready for that.

Hermione quickly undressed too, leaving only her tank top and underwear on. Hermione then put their clothes up over an overhanging beam to dry.

Neville appreciatively felt the shy brunette's eyes roam up and down over his body; this time her gaze was open and unapologetic. Unlike her remittance earlier to only look at him in stolen glances and when she thought he wasn't looking.

Hermione crossed her legs and sat down on a wood bench rather shyly.

"This accelerated rather fast," she admitted but her lips pulled upwards as if she were completely glad they had.

Neville chuckled and leant back against a post. "Yeah, well sort of," he said, lowering her eyes to her bra and panties. "It's been a long time coming, in my opinion."

"Merlin, has it? I've been wrong before, but I didn't think you liked me much. You mean you have all this time?"

"I noticed you." Neville couldn't help stating the obvious. Though he felt just as stupid as Hermione felt right now, that they did not, in fact, act on their feelings earlier. "You're beautiful," Neville stated with perfect honest. The proof of which was rather beginning to show...Neville only had his boxer shorts on and it was getting hard not to grow visibly excited.

"Am I?" Hermione tried to neaten her long wet hair.

"Stunning actually." Neville licked at the corner of his lips again. She tasted even more delicious too. How he wanted to taste her lips again.

"Oh...well, you're not so bad yourself. You look like you workout a lot...or something," she said but then stopped talking when her eyes lowered.

At this moment, they both realized he was obviously tented in his boxers and there was no use in pretending to ignore the tension between them. Something finally clicked in Hermione's brain and she audibly whispered, 'Oh fuck it'.

The next moment things happened so quickly that Neville wasn't sure who started it first: him or Hermione. They seemed to work together like two pieces of a soul they weren't previously aware they shared. Their minds thought alike. Hermione ran towards him and hopped onto his lap as Neville sunk them down onto the wood bench and their lips met again even more madly. He grabbed a fistful of her hair as he shoved her lips harder against his open mouth and penetrated her with his tongue. He couldn't help being in a frenzy; he wanted to taste each inch and crevice of her. Hermione must've felt the same way, if going by her soft moans. The brunette moaned in agony, as if she were in pain to be completed by him, and she began grinding against the front of his boxers. "Merlin Hermione."

"Shhh shhh," Hermione panted in between kisses. "We can't wake the sleeping mandrakes."

"Merlin, you saved mandrakes too?" Neville had his hand on her arse and cupped the soft flesh of this brilliant witch. "What were you thinking?"

"They're an Australian rare species of mandrakes, of course I had too," Hermione said defensively in between kissing him.

"Well, this is going to be a struggle," Neville stated, lowering his eyes to his boxers. "I'm not going to keep quiet easily...Not if you keep doing what you're doing."

"Try," Hermione whispered and ground against his long hard member again with her hips and hand.

Neville stifled a groan as the witch worked her magic against him. He felt so totally overpowered by her feminine draw.

"Are we just friends?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Did she really have to ask?

Neville shook his head. "Friends don't know what friends taste like," Neville said and he pulled her back in for a kiss and this time undid her bra. It fell to the floor and he took the sight of her glorious pretty chest before lowering his lips to work on them.

"Merlin, help. Neville," Hermione choked out in pleasure as he suckled at her. She pulled at his hair as he worked on her.

"Okay, okay," Neville grinned at her. "Hold on." He grabbed his wand off the floor and waved it at both his boxers and her panties to tear them off their bodies instantly so that they were both completely naked.

"Interesting spell, you know there." Hermione's eyes widened, as if wondering how much experiences like this Neville had been getting up to since leaving Hogwarts.

"It comes in handy." He kissed her on the neck and grabbed her bare arse with his hands. Plump, delicious.

"Wait, wait," Hermione said as he began to line himself up with her. "You're clean right? You don't have any, I mean, not to insult you but I just want to know.."

Neville gave her that same cheeky grin he had given her earlier when he stole a drink from her water bottle. "Promise you won't catch anything from me...except maybe a mild affection for me."

"Oh shut it." Hermione laughed though she seemed relieved.

He slapped her ass, enjoying teasing her.

"No, no," he grinned even more cheekily. "You shut it."

"What do you mean?" But then Hermione choked on her words midway as he slid suddenly into her and she swore to herself. "Oh god, Merlin, fuck you're big-"

"Shh the mandrakes," he reminded her. "I can't have you screaming on me and waking them all up." He laughed under his breath. "Can you imagine Harry and them's shock if they found as frozen together like this in the morning?"

Hermione had tears in her eyes. "I don't think I'd care at this point." She was too involved with his swollen member inside her stretching her to the limit. She threw her head back to accomodate him as their hips rolled perfectly together. "Please just keep moving."

"As you wish," Neville said and lifted her by the hips up and down upon his long cock, enjoying the sight of her small tits moving up and down with each stroke.

"Merlin, oh fuck," Hermione bit back moans and kept her eyes shut, like she was overwhelmed.

They finally came crashing together as his member swelled to an even bigger size right before he finished.

"Ahhhmmmuuh!" Hermione began to shriek but Neville silenced her by clamping down on her mouth with his lips. "Mandrakes remember?" he whispered and chuckled.

This was the second hose bursting that day that had made the smart bookworm scream her lungs out. And this hose, if possible, had made her every bit as wet as the hose that had soaked her clothes.

Neville affectionately nuzzled his nose against hers and she threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered and buried her face into his neck.

~O~

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a/n: Thanks for reading and reviewing, the next chapter will be important and please review if you want to find out what happens next! :P Thank you! and lets hope for more rain, in safe amounts, for down under


	5. Chapter 5

~O~

"You taste like honey." Neville panted as they lay back together on the wood bench, naked in each other's arms, Hermione's head rested on his chest. "Merlin, I'm going to be addicted to you from the rest of my life."

"What do you mean?"

Neville sighed, wondering how such an intelligent witch could be so obtuse and blind to the obvious sometimes. "You don't think we're just going to remain really good friends after this?"

She shook her head. "No, but this was sort of unplanned. I don't expect you to stay Neville if you don't, I mean, I'm sure this happens with you all the time..." she stammered and stumbled over her words, yet he didn't miss the sad glint in her eyes. She didn't really mean her words, did she? Neville wondered if he should hurry things along and tell her how much he liked her, but he didn't want to scare her off either.

"No, Hermione, this doesn't happen all the time, at least not with someone as special as you." Neville grabbed her perfect backside and pressed her body closer to his to he could taste those lips again. "I insist on staying."

Hermione smirked. "Okay, but you do know, we can't stay in this greenhouse forever...They'll be coming back in the morning."

"You don't say," Neville grinned and found himself pressing against her again. "Well, we better hurry now before we no longer can use this bench." He flipped them around so that he pinned Hermione beneath him on the wood bench, he smiled down at her. "Though you do know I have a greenhouse myself? It even has a house attached," he teased.

"Do you?" Hermione liked the sound of that. "Back home?"

"Yes, in Scotland. I'm a respected herbologist."

"Are you?" she played dumb, with a smile on her face.

He found her playfulness adorable.

"Yes, though, as a rule of thumb," he stroked her lips, "you know what happens in the greenhouse, stays in the greenhouse..." He lowered his lips to hers. "We can't let non-herbologists know what we get up to in here...they still think herbology is a boring subject for fuddyduddies."

"Your secret is safe with me," Hermione promised and grinned up at him.

"Good." He slipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted like honey of a rare flower. He planned to water her for the rest of his life. "Very good."

They made love for a second time that night and fell asleep on the wood bench, which Neville magicked to be wider and with pillows and sheets.

~O~

The next morning, they woke up snugly wrapped together but then suddenly Neville screamed as he felt something with sharp claws and long sharp teeth start to bite his hair.

"Argghhh! Hermione there's something in my hair!" he yelled as he raised a hand to his read to try to get the beast off of him.

Hermione awoke from her sleep with a startle. "I'm awake!" she yelped and reached for her wand. "What's going on?!"

"What kind of monsters are you keeping in here!" Neville winced as the animal began to chew at his ear and he resisted the urge to wave his wand at it and blast it off. But he knew Hermione wouldn't appreciate blasting one of her wild rescues, so he allowed the biting to continue.

Hermione burst into laughter and reached for Neville's head when she saw the furry creature who had startled them both from sleep.

"That's no monster, that's Snowball!" she cooed as she brought the white ball of fur into her arms.

Neville blushed when he saw it was only a small creature the size of a squirrel. Though with much bigger eyes and nasty sharp teeth. He waved his wand at his head to get rid of the scratchmarks Snowball had left.

"Quite a biter," Neville muttered.

"Nah, he's just cranky, he must want breakfast," Hermione said and cuddled up to the sugar glider.

Neville got up from the bed and stared out the window. "Uh oh we should've slept in so late, the volunteers are coming in."

"Merlin, what time is it?"

"8 o clock," Neville winced. "Harry's out there. He looks like he wants to come in the greenhouse. Bugger it."

Seeing Harry waiting outside the greenhouse, they both got dressed and hurried out to seem normal and prepared for another day of wildlife rescue.

Hermione headed out first to greet her friend, while Neville followed behind.

~o~

"Harry!" Hermione said nervously. "You're up early."

"Had to see what you two were up to."

"Well, we had some more rescuing to do," Neville coughed from behind her and handed Hermione some fruit.

Hermione shoved the fruit towards Snowball who greedily began to chew on it.

"I'm sure you did," Harry chuckled.

Neville and Hermione wondered why he was laughing like that. Had he taken a cheering potion or something. Hermione shook her head.

"Harry, I have to tell you something," Hermione began, crossing her arms while feeding Snowball sugar some more fruit.

Harry's face immediately broke into a wide, beaming grin. "Finally, it's happened hasn't it?"

Harry reached down to pick up and cuddle the adorable marsupial from her arms.

"What's happened?" Hermione's eyes widened. "Why do I feel like you already know what I'm going to say?"

Harry narrowed his eyes for the shortest of seconds. "You were going to tell me that you and Neville are a couple right?"

"How?" Hermione mouthed. "How could you even know? It just happened!" She pointed at the greenhouse flabbergasted. "We just came out of there, you had no way of knowing how long we were in there or what we were doing."

Harry gave her messy hair and wet clothes an up and down look. "Trust me, I know what you were doing, and I just hope you used protection." Harry beamed and he patted Neville on the shoulder when he passed by. "Well done mate."

"Any way I can help down under," Neville said rather slyly, though he didn't kiss and tell. "For the wildlife and cause of course!"

Hermione face turned red. "What do you mean? You knew this, that me and Neville, this would happen?"

Harry laughed at his best friend's surprise. "Don't act so shocked, it's been bloody obvious to everyone here, except apparently you, that you've two have had a thing going on." Harry shook his head. "You can thank me later, okay?"

"Thank you for what?" Hermione asked.

"I sent Neville to the greenhouse yesterday after hours. You didn't think that just happened, did it?" Harry gave her a cheeky smile and then yelped when the furry sugar glider bit her finger. "Ouch!"

"Unbelievable! I'm not sorry Snowball bit you!" Hermione said affronted but began to laugh too. "I can't believe you Harry that you of all people would start meddling and trying to be matchmaker to people without their consent, especially since we're supposed to be friends, you should've ran this by me first, don't you think?"

Neville decided to calm her down before she got anymore upset. Hermione Granger truly was brilliant but she had her blindspots at times. This was one of them.

"Now now I think Harry's right, I don't know why we didn't see it earlier. I feel pretty hardheaded myself." He paused to shake Harry's hand and take the sugar glider from him . "Thanks Harry."

"No problem," Harry said.

Hermione blushed.

"Neville stop!"

"I see my work here is done," Harry said and picked up back his digging shovel and gear. "I better go back to the other work. You can thank me later in your wedding speech."

Hermione blushed even harder. "Harry please, you need to stop meddling in other people's lives! We've barely started dating...we are not uh-"

"Uh I was right wasn't I?" Harry chuckled over his shoulder as he walked back over the hill.

Hermione and Neville were left standing there, trying to comprehend how they could be so blind to something that was so obvious to everyone else.

Neville chuckled.

She clearly didn't like discussing her love life or sex life so publicly but Neville couldn't help doing their first official PDA by nuzzling her with his lips...now that they were officially out of the greenhouse, he felt no harm in kissing her in public as much as possible.

"It's been a long time coming, truthfully," Neville breathed heavily. "And I intend to make up for lost time."

"What do you mean?"

"We could've been doing this all summer. Every night in the greenhouse." Neville grinned.

"Oh Merlin, you're right."

"It's alright." Neville chuckled. "We have plenty of time ahead to make up for it...And I still haven't introduced you to my greenhouse in Scotland, it's got this great wooden bench..."

~o~

THE END  
~O~

a/n: Sequel maybe? Idk if you haven't read my other Nevmione story 'The Remembrall' please check it out. That story got a lot more readers for whatever reason but I loved writing this shorter story too and hope everything's regrowing and heals in Australia.

btw factoid: Sugar gliders are these super cute marsupials from Australia. Very cute amazing critters!


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